Ask Us Anything

[Caroline]

Horses and Humans in Harmony

As equestrian professionals and enthusiasts, we are continually confronted with issues that need to be resolved for the best possible outcome for our horses and ourselves.   

Online forums are another way of providing support, but it is hard to give sound advice over the internet without seeing the horse.  The advice can do more harm than good in the absence of complete information.

Empowering Equestrians Everywhere     

Through this site, we are running monthly webinars which aim to address in detail the topics that are of most concern to you – our members.

Here’s how it works:

• Through this forum, you are invited to ask about a topic that is of particular concern to you

• We invite experts from around the world to review your questions

• We prepare and schedule webinars to address common themes – addressing specific questions asked in this forum

• Times and dates of webinars are announced on our events page and FB page

• Members can post messages ‘live’ during the webinar

• Recordings of the webinars are made available in the members space indefinitely.

*This is not a discussion forum – so no answers will be given to questions posted – but we guarantee that each question will be reviewed and considered for the webinar series.

[Renee Hogg]

Hi Equitopia !

I am a new member and wanted to jump in boots and all with a question is this would be OK.

I have a rising 5 yr old Thoroughbred, who came straight from his racing career to me in February this year.

I haven’t ridden him yet, have just been feeding him as much as he will eat – hard feed, hay and grass ( 24/7 turnout). He is still very light in condition with no top line and all ribs visible. I have photos if we can put them up ?

I have been doing ground work with him and lunging him, just in his halter for 5 mins each way at trot.

He is very reactive to touch just behind his shoulder blade and under his wither, he reacts all the way from that point to his girth on both sides. Ears back to start and then yawning , licking and chewing. He will turn his head round and nudge me while I am in this area.

I just massage out the trigger points and try and work all the fascia as best I know (amateur everything!). I start at his poll and it can take me an hour and a half to get just one side of him done, to his gaskin. Most of the time around his either and shoulders.

I’m wanting to bring him into work and my questions are:

– would you put him into work as light a condition as he is ? People do and I’m not judging, just not sure I should ?

– would you ride him as reactive as he is along the line from wither to girth ?

I’m not sure if it will help him work it out, or make it worse !!

– is there anything else I should be doing – X-ray maybe ?

It just seems a long time of rest, 5 months, with no improvement. He has had his teeth done, had a course of ulcershield, shealth clean and a couple of check overs by the vet and a session with a proper body Worker.

I have videos of the body work session I do with him to show his reaction if that is a help.

Anyway, I’m just a bit concerned about bringing him into work and are unsure if this is normal for his age and previous career, or if he needs more time and an X-ray maybe ?

Many thanks
Renee

[Ines]

Hi,

I am looking for information and help concerning spavin of the hock with osteolytic processes involved. Especially topics such as pain management, moderate training ideas and hoof treatment with regard to setting back the breakover point and using some sort of shock absorption would help me a lot. Apart from surgery, I have been to all kinds of clinical treatment with my 15 yo Quarter gelding over the past one and a half years. He is lame in trot but when I just let him run around on the pasture as he likes, he develops back pains and high muscle tension and seems generally unhappier. Doing ground work, even a bit of trail riding, mostly straight lines on medium to hard ground, seems to help him retain his physical fitness up to a point, but I would like to help him minimize his pain on a long-term basis.

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!

[janet]

I have owned a ridden a 15.2 hand, 10 year old KWPN mare trained to PSG for 10 months. When she arrived from Sweden to North Carolina to Florida to Arizona in the span of about 6 weeks she was significantly underweight and scared. she looked more like a deer than a horse. She was very spooky of everything. She is quite fit and muscular now, but still tends to be spooky. I took her to our first horse show, at Level 3-3, and I could barely approach C. She was consistently afraid of the judges box (I will say she is very afraid at the C end of the arena at home as well!). The show presented other challenges: 3 classes – one indoors, one under the lights, and one in daylight. I am wondering how to handle this situation and reduce the spookiness of my horse to new situations.

[Raymond Bove]

Hi – When horses get like the way yours was, they dehydrate.
This can cause a myriad of problems.
The body takes water from the muscles to maintain homeostasis.
From this a chain reaction of soft tissue issues arise.
Several drenches of electrolytes is always a good thing.
Raymond Bove
Equine Therapist

[janemcpeters]

I know the information and training you are providing is correct. And I also know that all this goes against the grain in my local horse world. And it is a lonely struggle to stand against the flow. I thank you all for doing this work! Keep going!
Thanks,

Jane McPeters

[Elizabeth Hamill]

My horse had a subtle lameness that I mentioned to my regular vet many times. Her response in every case was “you need to strengthen that stifle.” I followed all of her suggestions and the problem only got worse. In the end I consulted with a lameness practice and he has been seen at one time or another by all the vets in the practice. I believe the original problem that set the whole horrific cycle in motion is a developmental OCD lesion in his left stifle. My horse was turned out 24/7 and I think his overall fitness from being out masked the problem somewhat. He had a toe drag on the left hind. 2 1/2 years ago I moved him to a different farm where he was to be stalled with 12 hours of turnout. The turnout didn’t happen on a regular basis and the paddock they put him in was a paddock that was nothing but an extreme hill. His problems got worse quickly. After diagnostics it was determined that Riley had bi-lateral proximal suspensory desmitis (chronic). Riley had 3 shockwave treatments and months in a rehab center. After very slowly working him back in he was NQR. It got worse. I called the vet and the hind limb lameness was obvious without flexion, especially on the left leg. Riley had a neurectomy on both hinds in September, 2018. After 90 days he was only slightly improved. He had 2 prostride injections into his stifle, the thinking being it could help with the cyst. I started walking him under tack in January, 2019 and he was checked again in March, 2019. I asked the vet to take a closer look at the stifle and an ultrasound was done — bingo. He had a torn meniscus. My only goal for my sweet horse at this point was to get him sound enough to be turned out with other horses with a goal of retiring him. I continued tack walking him, but he was turned out 24/7 in a gently rolling medium size paddock. Riley was re-checked by vet in September and, miraculously, all the hacking and living out 24/7 produced marked improvement in Riley’s way of going. The vet cleared him to begin a small amount of trot work under saddle. The vet said that he will never be 100%, but for the first time since he went under saddle he is not dragging that left hind toe.

My question is this: My sense was that it would be better for his stifle to keep him more put together when trotting. After watching your video, I’m not sure this is correct. His left leg does not track in a straight line and probably never will. The only reason I am working him at all is because this is a horse who loves having a job and he likes to move. He does feel even on both reins, isn’t tipping me to one side. I used to be sore in my right lower back (and he used to be sore on the right side of his SI), but my soreness is gone (and apparently his is too). This week Riley is having an A2M treatment in his stifle. My goal is to prevent osteoarthritis as long as possible. Am I risking doing more damage by riding him? Riley is 11 years old. Thank you.

[Caroline]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your inquiry. We don’t normally give out specific answers to these types of questions as it is pretty much impossible to give any insight without seeing the horse. However, it seems like your intuition and connection to your horse is guiding you in the right direction. If you feel like you have good resources around you – vet, physio, trainer, saddle fitter,appropriate nutrition etc., then I would continue to be guided by Riley’s responses to your fantastic approach to caring for him:) We will continue to provide resources and eventually a referral guide to some of the professionals that we continue to build relationships with:)

[Elizabeth Hamill]

Thank you, Caroline. Riley saw his primary lameness vet today and she was very pleased (and surprised by) with his progress. She said to continue with the trot work as prescribed and if he’s still making progress in 30 days, he may even be cleared for a little canter work. I’ll keep taking it very slowly. He’s my little china horse. Thanks so much for your kind words. This has truly been a roller coaster for Riley and for me.

[lynda Cate]

So lovely to see the passion created here to start and make the change… here in NZ I am witnessing a genuine interest in knowledge. with an astounding amount of seminars on all that is better for the horse, my clients are attending these clinics and investing in upskilling to be better horse owners.

[Joanne Carr]

Hi, I am a new member and would like advice please.
My mare received a full assessment and massage from a registered therapist. My mare enjoyed the massage clearly but the day after on her weak hind, she did not track up and looked weaker and even unloved, clearly sore. She had received a deep treatment over her glutes and biceps femoris and in her training she overloads her near side front fore limb as she is clearly pushing off from her right hind to protect the left hind which appears weaker and isn’t coming through and tracking up. Could what she is showing just be muscle weakness or if she appears this sore and lame from a massage does it need deeper investigation. All advice greatly appreciated. She is 8 yrs, no significant areas of atrophy and is in light work. Thank you

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